


Mackenzie County: Sarah Finn: Origins

by Mountainheart



Series: Mackenzie County [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Battle, Origin Story, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Science Fiction, Superheroes, Superpowers, Supervillains, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-04-08 10:27:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19105258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mountainheart/pseuds/Mountainheart
Summary: Sarah Finn is a young woman who doesn't feel like she fits in anywhere. The only time she feels like she belongs is in the strange dreams she's been having for as long as she can remember. Dreams where she's flying.She's not exactly in the best of moods this morning, but when a supervillain attacks their school looking for Adam Yi, she's gonna have to push past the existential apathy she's felt for so long and face herself to come out on top. Well, that and a big fuck-off werewolf.





	Mackenzie County: Sarah Finn: Origins

I think there may be no greater feeling of freedom and wonder than flying through the air. A cheer rings through my being as I soar above the clouds, the great peach-colored sunset filling my vision as I pass over the towering vistas so grand in scale, yet so far below me at the same time. Freedom. I look over and see my brother. He smiles at me. “Don’t you think we should be getting back? We’ll get in trouble if we’re out too long.”  
“I don’t care,” I respond “I’m right where I need to be.” I let out another cheer. For the first time in ages, I feel as though I belong. I open my eyes.  
It’s 8:42am. School started twelve minutes ago. I’m late again.  
Shit. Oh well. It beats being early.  
I get out of bed, grab my bag and I go to brush my teeth. Already late anyway, no use breaking my damn ankles just to get yelled at for the effort. Deodorant? Yeah sure, why not.  
I had that dream again. The one where I was flying. It was nice, that feeling of freedom. I wonder what it’s like for some of the kids at school. Maybe ask? Nah, best not. They’d get pissed at me for even talking to them, probably try to beat me up or something, and they’re the ones that actually can.  
Once I finish getting ready I sneak down the stairs as carefully as possible. Already gonna get yelled at by the teacher, might as well avoid a confrontation with Mrs. Ainsley if I can. Is she at work today? She probably wouldn’t have let me sleep in if she was here. I can’t remember, best to keep quiet in case she has the day off. As I descend the steps I peek at the bowl they keep their keys in and see it’s completely empty. She left for work, good. I look into the kitchen, and I see a cold plate of food. She made me breakfast before she left, that was nice of her. Scrambled eggs, bacon, a blueberry bagel, and a note: “Good luck on your test today, I know you’ll do great!”  
Fuck. FUCK! I grab the bagel and sprint out the door. We’re taking final exams today, shit! I was counting on acing all the tests so I could just get a D and not have to repeat a year. But if I get a zero on even one of these I’m gonna flunk. Dammit!  
I face the world with determined eyes squinting from the sudden burst of light. I almost trip on the last step leading down into the street. Goddamn sun, always shining in my goddamn eyes. At least the school is within walking distance. Technically. I should be there in about ten minutes if I can keep up this pace. Usually I can. I’m pretty fast.  
I head into town and run by several shops. Jamal Giorno spots me from the front porch of his sandwich shop as he flips the sign over to “Open”. “Sarah!” He yells as I zoom past him “Shouldn’t you be in school by now?!”  
“Where do you think I’m running to?!” I yell, turning my head to look at him. Handsome as ever, a bright smile on his face in spite of everything. Jamal was only a year older than me but he was practically running his Dad’s shop and doing school full-time at night. Can’t imagine putting the amount of effort into anything that he’s constantly applying. Seems like having things you’re passionate about really lights a fire under your ass.  
“Try not to break your neck too badly, then! Good luck!”  
“Thanks! Game night’s still tonight, right?”  
“You know it! We got Wizards of Blood Mountain finally delivered! I’ll see you then!”  
I turn my head back to face where I’m headed right as I slam face-first into a stop sign. Ow. I spring back up, ignoring Jamal as he asks if I’m okay and I keep sprinting to school. I move to take a bite out of my bagel but my hand is empty. Dammit!  
As I continue to make my way down the road, Mackenzie High finally comes into view. I walk through the gate to see Ralph the security guard.  
“Ralph?”  
“Sarah? You’re late.”  
“I know, Ralph.”  
“You’re gonna get in trouble.”  
“I know, Ralph.”  
“Why even show up at all? I saw you running full-sprint down the road to get here, you clearly care. Why come in today and not yesterday?”  
“Tests, Ralph. They count for sixty percent of my grade, so if I ace them, I get just enough to avoid having to hang out with you chucklefucks anymore than I have to.”  
“Language.”  
“Eat a dick, Ralph.”  
“You know you could just drop out.”  
“Yeah but then I’d have to get a job.”  
“Whatever. Have fun in the last ten minutes of class, Sarah Finn.”  
“You too, Ralph the Security Guy.”  
“It’s Ralph Maccio, get it right.”  
“Like the Karate Kid?”  
“Yeah, like the Karate Kid, now get to class before I go all Cobra Kai, got it?”  
“Aren’t those the bad guys?”  
“Class. Now. You know I can call truancy on you, right?”  
I walk down the hallway to class, only to find a locked door and a sign:  
Testing Inside. Do Not Disturb.  
Fuck that. I knock on the door, earning me a dirty look from Ms. Conway, my English teacher. I turn to walk away as she recognizes me and comes barreling out of the classroom.  
“Where the hell have you been?” She whisper shouts to my back.  
“I’ve been around.”  
“Don’t you give me that! It’s been almost a month since you last came to class, and you agreed to show up at least twice a week to let me know you’re safe. I’ve been worried sick! You should’ve been here, what’s wrong with you?”  
I open my mouth to react. I close it. She’s right, I fucked up.  
“I’m sorry, Ms. Conway. I should’ve come to class but I didn’t. I’ll try to do better. Can I go take the test now?”  
“No.”  
“What?!”  
“There’s a little over five minutes left in class, Sarah, even if you knew all the answers ahead of time you wouldn’t be able to finish it. Come see me after school, and you can take the time you need to figure it out.”  
“I… thanks, Ms. Conway.”  
“You’re welcome, Sarah.”  
I turn to walk back down the hall.  
“You better be walking to class.” She yells behind me.  
“I am, Senor Flores’s room is that way. He’s gonna be surprised to see me so early.”  
“Yeah, I bet. See you in a few hours.”  
“Godspeed, Ms. Conway.”  
I take off back down the hallway to Senor Flores’s class to wait outside for the bell. Maybe I’ll actually look over my notes to make sure I have everything down. I probably won’t need it, usually my instincts are able to carry me through tests, but it can’t hurt while I have the time.  
I turn the corner just in time to catch Ralph’s full weight as he slams into me, using my quite buff posterior to cushion his impact with the wall behind us. Oooooooowww.  
“What the hell, Ralph?” I groan. He doesn’t answer, he’s just slumped on the ground, trapping me against him and the wall, with just enough of a view over his head to catch a glimpse of whatever caused him to go flying. Or rather, who.  
It’s some guy in a black t-shirt. Big, certainly, but hardly the intimidating presence you’d expect from a supervillain. If he hadn’t thrown Ralph across a long hallway without breaking a sweat I wouldn’t have even known he was a villain.  
He walks over to the two of us, right as I manage to get free of Ralph and stand up I feel his hand wrap around my throat. He could snap it if he wanted to. He wouldn’t even have to try.  
“Where is Adam Li.” He says. He sounds impatient.  
“L-like I’d t-tell you.” I bluster, tears streaming down my face.  
He looks annoyed. His fingers twitch and he starts to squeeze my neck significantly harder.  
“Hey!” I hear a shout from down the other end of the hall “Put her down and face me, asshole!”  
A crowd of students had gathered, and in front of them was the guy who’d shouted. It’s Adam, the one the guy was looking for. I didn’t know him very well. Even though he’s friends with Jamal, he’s always seemed pretty quiet, why is this guy looking for him? Why would he pick a fight with someone like this just to save me?  
Because he’s a superhero. Right, dumb question. Moving on…  
“You made a big mistake, kid.” the villain smirks. “You let me see your face last night. Nothin’ personal, but I’m gonna have to send a message to your boss: fuck with Chimera, and we fuck with you.”  
He charges forward, coming in with a left hook at blinding speed against the seemingly unprepared Adam. Adam barely manages to block it, an audible gong ringing out as the overwhelming force of the Chimera’s blow meets Adam’s now-obvious cybernetic arm. Adam responds in kind with a swift punch to the face, pushing him back to where he was right next to me.  
The Chimera grins, and fur starts to sprout in clumps all over his skin. His fingernails move to the tips and reshape into claws, and his head begins to elongate, growing into the head of a wolf. That’s where I remember the name Chimera: a gang of shapeshifting eco-terrorists hell-bent on destroying human civilization to restore and preserve nature. That’s what I was told, at least.  
Adam sprints toward the Chimera, his cybernetic arm pulling back to deliver a swift uppercut to his face. The Chimera, with lightning speed, slams his fists into Adam’s back, delivering a swift knee to the face as he falls, picking him up by the shoulders and slamming him back-first into the ground. He pounces on top of Adam, trying to tear into him with his claws, Adam barely managing to block most of the strikes with his metal arm.  
I’ve never been one to call myself a hero. I think it’s a little self-indulgent, especially if you’re unlicensed. But when I see this fucking asshole tearing into this kid I barely know, who’s only in this mess because he was trying to protect me, my mind goes blank.  
I charge forward, slamming into the wolf. The impact feels like I hit a brick wall, but I actually manage to move him a little bit by some miracle. The werewolf seems genuinely surprised by that, but the surprise doesn’t last for long. I scramble back as he stands up, walking toward me slowly like he wasn’t in any kind of hurry. Adam leaps at him, but he tosses the injured hero aside like it’s no big deal on his part. My back’s officially against the wall, and he’s standing above me, royally pissed at my audacity. I try to scramble away, but he once more grabs me by the throat.  
This is it. A life of not caring that much about anything, ending immediately the moment I put real effort into doing good. I’m not scared. Not really. I feel calm. I close my eyes as the Chimera other clawed hand plunges forward, about to tear into me. This is it.

After a couple of hours of freedom, my brother and I head back to our nest, thoroughly exhausted by the various responsibilities and lessons of the day, ready to let it end and face the next morning of challenges, both glorious and mundane. Such is the life of an Angel of Yesh, I suppose. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  
As expected, Diniel is there to meet us after our little unauthorized excursion. A little less expected, however, was the fact that our entire flock was there to meet us. Shouldn’t at least some of them be asleep by now? Something is wrong.  
We land about ten feet from the crowd of family members, and walk towards them slowly. “Sorry for being late,” I say, “we lost track of time.”  
“Considering you’ve done this several times the past few nights, I highly doubt that.” Diniel replies, stern as ever.  
“I promise it won’t happen again.” I say. I almost mean it this time.  
“No, I suppose it won’t.” Diniel responds coyly. Something is really, really wrong.  
“What do you mean by that?” I inquire, unable to mask my concern any longer.  
“How long have you been in training, Asariel?”  
“Five centuries, six if you count the history lessons.”  
“I do. And how many of the trials have you managed to pass?”  
“I don’t underst-”  
“How many.”  
“... five.” Panic begins to set. Where is he going with this?  
“How many trials are there to complete?”  
“Seventy.”  
“And how many of your twenty brothers and sisters, Asariel, have completed at least sixty?”  
“...”  
“How many, Asariel?”  
“... All of them.” Tears begin to stream down my face.  
“All of your siblings have surpassed you over ten-fold. We have had long discussions about this. Your flock, your trainers, even Yesh Themself has weighed in. You are not ready to be an Angel of Yesh, and may never be ready.”  
“No.”  
“I realize this is a hard thing to hear, Asariel, but I assure you we-”  
“I said no!”  
“Asariel…”  
“I will not allow you to cast me aside, not after everything! I know what’s at stake in these battles we’re preparing for, I know how powerful Demons can be. Give me one more chance, to prove that I’m capable of standing with my flock.”  
“I thought you would say that, Asariel. It will not matter in the slightest, but I have your final chance ready: the Sixth Trial, a battle against a demon wielding magic.”  
“You’ve captured another one already?” I ask, incredulous.  
“No. You will not be facing a true demon this time.” Diniel obviates. “Briathos!”  
My brother, the one I had just got done flying with, steps forward. Mihr tosses us our blades.  
“You knew this was coming, Briathos. The entire time we were flying together. You knew about to happen and you said nothing.”  
“I wanted you to enjoy yourself one last time.” He answers, refusing to meet my eyes.  
“You wanted me exhausted so you could-”  
“Asariel, enough!” Diniel interjects, “Briathos has been flying with you the entire time, he is just as exhausted as you are. If you wish to remain with your siblings, you must defeat the one closest to you in level.”  
“He’s sixty-three.”  
“Begin!”  
I fly towards him with as much haste as I can muster, putting my full weight behind the first swing of my morningstar. He sidesteps just in time to avoid getting hit with the full force of the attack. My brother has always been quite fast, nearly as quick as me. If I hadn’t been so tired I would’ve surely gotten him right then and there.  
I leap into the air to deliver a blow from above. His eyes glow a deep golden-yellow, and his form shimmers into a translucent mist version of his regular appearance. Faster than my eyes can process, he appears to my left, knocking me to the ground with the pommel of his sword. My morningstar flies out of my hand, and Briathos’s eyes glow blue like the autumn sky, my morningstar dissipating before his glare.  
I charge at him once more, this time with my bare hands. His eyes glow with a fiery orange, and he grabs me by the throat, stopping me in my tracks. He nearly snaps my neck without meaning to.  
I yield.  
He drops me to the ground. Mihr helps me to my feet, and Diniel looks rather sad. Not surprised, but sad. “Asariel, I am sorry. But you are not going to join your flock in the war against the demons.”  
“Diniel, I swear I can do this. If Briathos hadn’t been using magic I would’ve-”  
“Demons use magic, Asariel!” He shouts, losing his composure for the first time in quite a while. “Demons are beings of incredible power, able to shift reality itself. Briathos was taking it easy on you by using such weak forms of sorcery, an act of mercy he should not have committed. You must be able to combat these creatures, and to do so you must have power rivalling their own. If you can’t fight them on your own terms, then you will not fight them at all. It is unfair to your siblings to have to look after you while they are busy fighting for their own lives. Asariel, your training is over. In a thousand years or so, a new flock will be born and they will undergo the same training. When that happens, we may allow you to join them, but until then you cannot stay here.”  
“Where are you sending me?”  
“There is a planet known as Earth where you will be safe. It is out of the way, not typically a target for Demons, and the creatures there are quite weak in comparison, as I have been led to believe. Farewell, Asariel.”  
“Diniel, please!”  
He ignores me. His eyes glow green, and everything goes black.  
I manifest on the doorstep of the Finns, a devout young couple praying for a child. They’re nice enough, and they raise me to respect others, but they die in a car crash a few years after I’m brought to them. I don’t mourn them like I should. I make the other kids my age uncomfortable. I’m strange, and I like to fight. I’m passed around from foster-home to foster-home, never quite fitting in. The Ainsley’s have had me the longest, but sometimes I worry that they’re ready to send me back. I don’t care about school. I don’t have any hobbies, and I’ve never had any close friends. I never felt like I belonged here on earth, and I was right. I guess I was wrong about belonging somewhere else. 

A bright ringing echoes out as the Chimera’s claws slam full-force into a shining metal shield. I shove him away, pushing him hard into the lockers, breaking a few of them open. I leap forward, my wings cramping up from their first real use in over seventeen years, and I bring my morningstar down on his head. Maybe I am too weak to fight demons. But I’m more than a match for this bastard.  
It hits, causing him to yelp out in pain, and he tackles me into the other wall, raising his claws to strike me once more. A blast of energy hits him in the side as Adam Yi recovers, his damaged arm sparking and beginning to smoke. Adam charges forward, and as the Chimera shifts his attention away from me I get him in the side of the head with the end of my shield, stunning him while Adam comes forward to deliver a forceful punch with his entire weight behind it.  
With the two of us working together, the Chimera doesn’t stand a chance. He can’t fight both of us at the same time, and every time he tries to attack one of us the other one manages to get the upper hand. I wouldn't call it a glorious battle, we had the advantage as soon as it became a two-on-one fight. He’s down by the time the police arrive with Adam's mentor Shieldmaster in tow. “Well, Adam.” Shieldmaster looks at his young pupil. “Looks like your secrets out. This is gonna make things quite a bit more complicated for you I’m afraid.”  
“It’s okay, Mr. Steele, it was bound to happen eventually.”  
“Yeah, I guess so.” He says, rubbing the back of his head, “Secret identities ain’t what they used to be.”  
As the police lead the Chimera, a gentleman by the name of Kyle apparently, Alan Steele comes to stand next to me. “Sarah, right?”  
“Um, yes sir, Mr. Shieldmaster.”  
“Call me Al, okay? Thanks for saving Adam. He’d be dead if it wasn’t for you. And for a first time hero, you sure took to it like wood to fire.”  
“Thanks? I mean, I guess now that I have my memories back, it’s not exactly the first big fight I’ve been in.”  
“Either way, I’m glad to have another young hero around to help out. And if you ever decide you wanna fight with something other than a big metal club, come talk to me and I’ll see if I can’t get you an upgrade.”  
“Thanks, Al, I’ll… keep that in mind.”  
“Don’t mention it, least I could do, you know?”  
He leaves to file the report. Surprisingly chill guy, doesn’t seem like one of the most famous superheroes in the world. Do any of them act the way you expect them to? Probably at least some of them, just by law of averages.  
I walk over to Adam, sitting on the rear of an ambulance, with a couple scratches and bruises. “How you holdin’ up?” I ask plainly.  
“Pretty good, the arm's a little banged up but it can repair itself. As for the rest of me, I’m gonna be sore for a couple days but it’s no biggie. What about you?”  
“I’m alright, mostly just shaken up. Have you ever had just a ton of memories suddenly appear in your brain? Like you just remembered where you put your phone, but for literal centuries of your life?”  
“Not on that scale, no. At least, not that I remember.”  
“Right. You’re more of a tech guy, probably don’t deal with a ton of immortal divine beings with abandonment issues.”  
“You’d be surprised. And by the way, you did really well, I’m genuinely impressed.”  
“Thanks. I guess I needed to get my ass kicked before I remembered how to kick ass.”  
“Sometimes that is what’s needed. Again, you’d be surprised. But anyway, what I’m trying to say is that if you ever want to join a team, you can come talk to me about it, the Nightravens would be lucky to have you.”  
“I might take you up on that, Adam, certainly seems to make things easier.”  
“It definitely does. You coming to game night at Jamal’s?”  
“Yeah, probably. Wait you’re still gonna go to game night after you almost died?”  
“Sarah, I’m a superhero, I’m in a constant state of almost dying. If I didn’t go to game night because of that I’d never be there.”  
“If only the faculty were as resilient as you, Adam, we might have finished school.”  
“Oh shut up, Sarah, you’re fuckin’ relieved that this happened, aren’t you?” He says with a wry smile.  
“Damn straight. I’m gonna go take a nap. See you in a few hours!”

Mrs. Ainsley is waiting for me when I get home. She was about to call me to yell about being late when she heard what had happened. Now she just wants to know if I’m okay. I tell her everything. I needed to talk to someone about it, and maybe my foster mom was the one I could confide in. Every super needs one, from what I understand. I promise her I’ll be as careful as possible, and she tells me that she loves me.  
Then I take a nap.  
When I come to I’m ready to head over to Giorno’s for game night. I put on my best-looking leather jacket and actually try to look okay for once. I may not belong here, but this is my home and family as much as any other I may have had. Might as well at least try to give a shit.  
The blinds are down and the lights are dim when I walk up to the steps of Giorno’s for game night. That’s not too unusual, sometimes it gets bright and Maria needs to put the blinds down or she gets overwhelmed. I’m a little bit late, but I’m sure they’ll understand. I walk into the store and I see something genuinely strange. It’s everyone: Adam, Jamal, Maria, and Sam, all wearing the costumes of the Mackenzie Nightravens, the famous Youth Responders (kid superheroes) team. Looks like game night isn’t gonna be quite the same as it used to be. That’s fine though, I’m ready for something a little different. I walk in and close the door behind me.


End file.
